The Cheapest Android Player Yet?

A while ago I reviewed the Window N50, a 5 inch Android portable for casual browsing and media consumption on the go. Pocketable Android players never really took off though, possibly because I’m just about the only person interested in them.

For some reason, JXD has decided to release one of its own and it looks like the cheapest yet. The JXD S18 has a 4.3″ resistive screen with a 480×272 resolution (the same as the Yinlips G16 and a few other 4.3″ gaming handhelds) and it’s powered by a 1Ghz AmLogic 8726, a Mali400 and 512MB of RAM. The specs are pretty much the bare minimum to run Android 4.0, but for its intended use (movie and music playing on the go) it will probably suffice. The unit also has WIFI, expandable storage and dual headphone outputs.

It’s not a bad looking thing either in my opinion. The cheapest I’ve found it for is a measly $41.93 shipped, from Everbuying.com.

Oh my God I never thought their is someone else interested in this device! Haha. Ever since I saw it from the internet, I’ve been very VERY curious about it because the size interests me & the specs as well. Its not bad actually.. Having a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor with 512MB & Mali 400 GPU? That should be adequate enough for basic use of the device. I own an ICS phone that has similar specs & its doing ok for me. What I want to know is how is the device in real-life, the performance, build quality & all & I was hoping you to review it! Oh pleaseee buy it… It is extremely cheap after all 😛 Haha. I am so hoping someone has some sort of experience with this device. Im just concerned about the resistive screen.. Will it be a pain to use with Android what not since the some apps does involve lots of scrolling & small icons :S

Dayyum… All hope is lost, LOL. Why u no buy even though its tempting! D: Haha. Oh well I guess I have to wait for others to actually buy this thing & give feedback.. It really looks like a great cheap device with potential. Oh regarding the Windows N50, how was the battery life with full day of use?

The same reason you won’t buy it even though it’s tempting! I’m not made of money! I’ve already got a GCW Zero on pre-order, I plan to buy a Revo once it’s released and I’m stumping up £280 for a Nexus 4 on the 13th! I’ve got nothing left!

The battery on the N50 is good. I’ve never used it solidly all day but it played 2 movies on a flight home and the battery was still way over half full. The battery meter can be inaccurate with some ROMs, but it doesn’t affect its lifespan.

I don’t own one of these so I can’t help you I’m afraid. Maybe someone else who bought one can help you out or perhaps you could try at the unoffical JXD forums, though it seems to be a bit quiet over there. http://jxdpmp.freeforums.org/
Also try the forums at mp4nation.net

This mini have Cortex A-9 and with low resolution , it will be the fastest single core 4.0 Android machine. With this CPU and GPU you can buy 9.7 inch tablet with much more pixels to processes.
Battery will be low mah , like their android console. Price of 41 $ is only two days promo,now is 43 $ and DX have it for 44$. DX is much thrust shop than everbaying.com

Probably they should had installed gingerbread instead. I also know people that thinks installing a more updated system will be better but, actually, if the machine runs it slower, then better off with an old system that does the job anyways.

I think the reason mini tablets have never caught on (other than the iPod Touch) is because most people who want something pocketable want it to be able to make calls too (that is to say, they want a smartphone).

Personally I have an iPod Touch and a Nokia N900 – because I don’t want to pay $100 or more per month for a data/voice/text plan, and most carriers (in the US at least) force you to have data if you have a smart phone, even if you bought the smart phone for full price. At&t doesn’t consider my N900 to be a “smartphone” so they haven’t forced me to get data…. yet.

I also have a Window N50GT-A and was looking for something more pocket’able.
How’s the battery life?
OTG works?
Can you run benchmarks on both N50 and S18, might not be fare because of the resolutions, which, btw, does the S18 also have the terrible viewing angles as the N50?

Battery life kinda sucks, uses a 3.7v 1250mah Li-ion, which is kind of a shame since it looks kinda puny inside the case with all that empty space around it. For real, they could have very easily fit a 2000mah or maybe a little more inside the S18 & I would have been happy to pay the $3 extra. Viewing angle on the screen is good though.
Battery life is maybe a little under 2 hours if you have the screen turned up, & wifi on, otherwise, if you not using the screen much, & wifi is off you can get a few more hours just playng music. But I’m always recharging it. PS, If the screen is turned up to 80-100% brightness while you are charging it & using it at the same time… It still runs the battery dead as it drains a little faster than it charges.